Clasp-envelop.



No. 891,011. PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908.

'M. S. SHAPLEIGH.

CLASP ENVELOP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16. 1907.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 16, 1907.

Patented June 16, 1908.

Serial No. 384,028.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARsHALL S. SHAP- LEIGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey 'City,in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clasp-Envelops, of which the following isa specification.

The object of my invention is the provision of an envelop having a clasp device which shall be comparativelycheap infirst cost, simple in construction, strong and durable, of light weight, and neat in appearance; which will lie flat when the envelop is being printed and when a number of envelops are arranged in a package; which will not project and catch into other articles when being handled by mail clerks 'or others or when in transit; which shall be adapted for very easy and rapid sealing and obviate the necessity of threading or pushing a tongue through a hole or eyelet as is customary with devices of this class now in use, and which, withal, shall constitute a superior means for performing the desired functions.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in an envelop havin a flap with a hole therein, or a reinforced ap adapted to be punctured, and a metallic tongue lying in a plane substantially parallel with one surface of the envelop or slightly oblique thereto; theline or hinge about which the flap turns being so'disposed relative to thetonguethat,

7 when the flap is turned down, the point of the tongue will pass through the hole or pass through the material back of the reinforcing element therein. c

It further consists in certain novelties of,

construction and combinations inafter set forth and claimed.

The accompanying drawingillustrates sevof parts hereeral examples of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best of the several modes I have so far devised'for the practicable application of the principle.

Fi ure 1 is a plan view of an envelop provide with my improved clasp device, the flap being turned up. Fig. 2 shows the top part of the envelo illustrated by Fi 1 with the flap turned own and the en of the tongue bent over and sealing the envelop. Fig. 3 is a section of Fig. 1 parallel with and ad acent to the tongue, and on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 shows the tongue and paper disk by which the lower portion of the tongue is secured to the inner surface ofthe back of the envelop by glue or paste. metallic strengthening plate located in the flap. Fig. 6 shows an envelop with a flap Fig. 5 is the having the strengthening plate illustrated by Fig. 7. Fig. 8 shows an envelop with a flap thereof turned under the flap to the position It indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 11 shows amodified'way of securing the tongue to the inner surface of the back of the envelop.

' Referring to the figures, the numeral 1 designates the envelop; 2, the tongue made of a strip of metal whichcan be bent without breaking ;'3, the lower end of the tongue bent upon itself through an arcof 180; 4, a disk or piece of paper or other suitable material held between the body of the tongue and the art 3 thereof bentover upon the disk, the l -tened to the inner surface of the back of the envelop; ,5, the lower end of the tongue (see Fig. 11) bent 'at an angle, with a piece of paper or fabric 6 pasted overthe same and to the inner surface of the back of the envelop;

7, a hole in the back of the envelop through which the tongue projects so as to lie adja- 1 cent the outer surface and parallel therewith or slightly oblique thereto; 8, the fla of the envelop; 9, a holein the flap throug which" the tongue-passes when the flap is turned down; 10, the line or hinge about which the flap turns or' rotates when. being turned down; and 11 is a metallic strengthening plate secured in the outer edge. of the flap in any suitable way, preferably by folding 'the paper or fabric around the same and pasting or gluing the surfaces together.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the,st'rengtheningplate (see F ig.5) is provided with a notch or recess 12 withinwhichthe tongue is locatedwhefn turned down so that any side motion of the tongue willi'ca'use the same to engage the metal of therplate and'not tear thefpaper- In Fig. 6 the plate (see ig. 7). has ahole through the body thereof for the tongue which likewise prevents any abrasion of the paper,

In Fig. 8 the strengthening plate (see Fig.

9) consists of a simple flat strip of metal ofv the same, thickness and width as the metallic tongue and secured in the edge of the flap outside the hole for the tongue.

' In all the examples it will be observed that, whenthe envelop is unsealed and the atter being glued or otherwise fas flap is open, the tongue lies in a plane substantially parallel with the outer surface of the back of the envelop or at a slight angle thereto. The point is located adjacent the hole through the flap when the same is turned up, or where the puncture is to be made below the upper edge of the strengthening plate, and, what is of importance, the end of the tongue extends some distance above the bending line or hinge about which the flap turns when being folded.- This location of the end of the tongue insures the passage of the same through the hole when the flap is turned down, and no threading or guiding or other manipulation is necessary, a feature which permits of easy and rapid sealing. When the flap is turned down and the tongue passed through the hole therein, the end of the tongue is then bent over through an arc of 180 and the complete sealing thus effected by two manipulations.

If it is desired to fasten the flap more securely, the extreme end of the tongue may be turned through an arc of 180 to a position beneath the inner surface of the lower edge of the folded flap, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 10. This manipulation may be best performed when the fla) and tongue have been turned -to an angle of approximately during the process of folding and sealinga From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawing it becomes clear that I have provided a clasp envelop which fulfils all the conditions set forth as the purpose of my invention. When un-- sealed, the envelop can'befedto' a press for printing without any trouble; two manipus ations only are necessary to seal it; the tongue of the clasp enters the hole in the flap without manipulation; and the entire clasping device is light in weight, strong and durable, and there are no projections to engage or catch into other articles while the. envelop is being handled.

What I claim is:

1. A clasp envelop having a metallic tongue secured to the backthereof, and a flap provided with a reinforcing piece; the free end of the tongue being located in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the back or slightly oblique thereto and projecting beyond the bending line about which the flap turns when being folded down upon the back; and the reinforcing piece being located adjacent to the point of the tongue whereby, when the flap 1s turned down, the tongue will pass through the flap without manipulation and material of the reinforcing piece occupy a position below the bending line of the tongue.

2. .A clasp envelop having a flap with a hole, and a metallic tongue with one end secured to the back; the free end of the tongue lying in a plane substantially parallel with'o-r slightly oblique to the back and the ,point thereof being located above the line about which the flap turns and adjacent the hole in said flap whereby when the flap is folded the tongue will enter the hole in the flap without manipulation.

3. A clasp envelop having a flap with a reinforcing strip and a hole iIi' connection therewith; and a metallic tonguewith one end secured to the back; the free end of the tongue lying in a plane parallel with or slightly oblique to the back and the point thereof being located above the line about which the flap turns and adjacent to the hole in said flap whereby the tongue willpass through the hole in the flap without manipulation when the latter is turned over in folding.

4. A clasp envelop having a flap reinforced at the edge with a metallic strip, and a hole; and a metallic tongue with one end bent over and secured upon the inside of the back of the envelop by a covering piece or disk," the other end being passed through the back and extended obliquely to or substantially parallel with the surface of the back to a position beyond the line about which the flap turns and the oint thereof located adjacent the hole in t 1e flap.

5. A claspenvelop having a fia with a hole, and a tongue the lower end 0 which is bent upon a disk, which latter is secured to the inner surface of the back, and the free end passed through the back and extended substantially parallel therewith so the point of thesaid tongue will occupy a position adjacent the hole in the flap.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

MARSHALL S. SHAPLEIGH.

Witnesses;

F. E. STEBBINs, SuvrL W. CocKaELL. 

